Sign and indicator



Feb. 6, 1934. N. B. BRYANT SIGN AND INDICATOR Filed June 7, 1933 H RS.

JOHN 00 ATTORNEY Patented ch. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT? .QFE

This invention is an indicator designed more particularly for use by business and professional men, the object being to provide an inexpensive device whereby a person may signify in a visual B manner when he is out of his office and at what time he will return and whether or not the ofiice is open during his absence.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for the stated purpose in which the indicating elements will be firmly held in a set position and may be easily arranged to give any desired indications.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and will be hereinafter fully set forth and defined.

In the drawing:-

Figure 1 is an elevation of an indicator embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of one end of the indicator board or card.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section on the line 33 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an elevation of one of the pointers.

Figure 5 is an end view of the support for the pointers.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of said support.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section.

Figure 8 is a plan view of a securing nut.

4 In carrying out the invention, there is provided a base member 1 which may be of wood, heavy cardboard or other suitable material. This base is generally rectangular in outline and through the greater portion of its outer face is intended ;--to receive a suitable identifying inscription, such 'as the name and occupation of the person using or displaying the indicator with other information essential to persons dealing with him. At one end of the base plate there is marked out a -.-,;-panel 2 having a semi-circular arc 3 displayed 40in the upper portion thereof and at the center from which said are is struck there is an opening 4 formed through the base plate, and equidistant from said opening at the opposite sides thereof are small teats or protuberances 30 punched from the plate. A horizontal line, as indicated at 5, may be drawn across this center and other lines 6 may be marked below said horizontal line, thereby defining various spaces in which in- "formation may be displayed. In the particular "illustration one space contains the word In while the word Out appears in the space at the opposite side of the panel and in the lower portion of the panel appears the legends Ofiice "-t open and Third floor. The are 3 has twelve teeth or lugs 7 marked along its concave side and these lugs or teeth are numbered consecutively from 1 to 12, as shown and as will be understood.

Fitted through the opening 4 in the base plate is a supporting stud or shaft 8 having a head 9 at one end, this stud or shaft having a fiat side as so that it will fit closely within the correspondingly shaped opening 4 and will be thereby held against turning. The head 9 will abut against the rear side of the plate 1 and is formed with *1 recesses 31 to seat the teats 30, as shown in Figure 05 3, and the front extremity of the support is threaded, as indicated at 10. A plurality of pointers or hands 11, 12 and 13 of similar design but different lengths are rotatably mounted upon the stud 8 and are intended to be set so that their free ends will be disposed adjacent selected designations in the panel.

In the particular arrangement shown in Figure 1, the longer pointer or hand 11 is extending upwardly with its free end between the numerals 6 and '7, thereby indicating that the proprietor will return to his ofiice between the hours of 6 and 7. The pointer 12 is extending downwardly and disposed over the legend Ofiice open, thereby indicating that persons desiring to obtain so information or transact other business may have access to the ofiice and consult the oflice force. The third pointer 13 is arranged to extend toward the word Out thereby indicating that the proprietor is not in his office which information would be, however, gathered from the disposition of the other hands.

Each hand or pointer has a circular opening 14 through its pivotal end which is engaged over it the stud 8 so that the hand may turn freely about the stud and between the innermost pointer and the back plate and between each two pointers is arranged a washer 15 having a central opening 16 which has a fiat side, as shown in Figure 5, corresponding to the cross sectional contour of the stud so that the washers cannot turn about the stud but will remain stationary at all times and will exert sufficient frictional resistance upon the pointers to hold them in the position in which they may respectively be set.

Mounted upon the threaded extremity of the stud is a nut 1'7 which may be turned home against the outermost washer 15 and thereby insure the proper frictional engagement between the washers and pointers. This nut has its bore thread- 105 ed through its greater portion, as shown at 18, whereby it may be engaged with the threaded extremity of the stud 8 and the outer end of the bore is formed with corrugations extending longitudinally of the bore, as indicated at 19. A 11 resilient hook 20, formed of a wire strand doubled upon itself, is embedded in or secured to the front extremity of the stud 8 so as to project therefrom through the opening of the nut and engage the corrugations 19, thereby normally holding the nut against rotation but yielding to force exerted upon the nut by the fingers or a turning tool, the edge of the nut being milled or otherwise roughened, as indicated at 21 in Figure 8, to facilitate wgrasping by the fingers of the operator.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided an exceedingly simple and inexpensive device which may be easily set to display desired information. The device is particularly desirable in those place where business men have their establishments located on the upper floor of a building which is not provided with elevator service inasmuch as the device may be placed upon a bulletin board adjacent the street entrance of a building and enables customers or clients of any particular occupant of the building to learn whether or not the person he desires to see is out or in his office and if he is out at what time he will return and whether or not the office is open. Customers and clients will thus be saved the annoyance of climbing stairs merely to find that the person sought is out of the building and that the office is closed.

Having described the invention, I claim:

An indicator comprising a base plate having informative inscriptions thereon, a stud projecting from the base plate, a plurality of pointers rotatably fitted upon the stud to be set in selected relation to the inscriptions, washers fitted upon the stud between and in frictional engagement with the pointers, means to prevent rotation of the ashers, a clamping nut mounted upon the extremity of the stud and adapted to be turned ihom'e against the outermost washer, the bore of the nut having longitudinally extending corrugations in its extremity, and a resilient fin- ;ger projecting from the end of the stud and engaging said corrugations.

NATHAN B. BRYANT. 

